Serotonin Biosynthesis as a Predictive Marker of Serotonin Pharmacodynamics and Disease-Induced Dysregulation

Welford, R.W.; Vercauteren, M.; Trébaul, A., et al.

In a metabolomics-based tracer study, Welford and colleagues used ¹³C-labeled tryptophan as an oral tracer to measure/quantify the biosynthesis and metabolism of serotonin in rats. Here, the flux and pharmacokinetics of serotonin pathway metabolites were measured in various tissues by LC-MRM/MS. The pharmacodynamic effects of serotonin synthesis inhibition in vivo were also investigated. This study should help facilitate the development of improved serotonin synthesis inhibitors, which could have therapeutic potential in diseases such as lung fibrosis, osteoporosis, and obesity.